There is disquiet among some medical doctors who are perceived members of the ruling New Patriotic Party following the latest appointment of a new Director General of the Ghana Health Service.
President Akufo-Addo on November 5, 2019 appointed Dr. Baffour Awuah, a radiation oncologist and former medical director of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital to succeed Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare — who until his reassignment to the presidency, was the Director General of the Ghana Health Service.
But it appears Dr Baffour Awuah’s appointment to the health management body has fiercely been criticised by some elements in the New Patriotic Party.
In a statement sighted by Dailymailgh, the doctors, named as NPP Medical Team, alleged that Dr. Baffour Awuah was a known card bearing member of the opposition National Democratic Congress, adding that his appointment to the top GHS job could be suicidal in the upcoming general elections.
The angry doctors want the appointment revoked to help “energize the health grassroot based of the party to continuously work for victory 2020”.
See below a copy of their statement
THE TRUTH MUST BE TOLD, DR BAFFOUR AWUAH – RADIATION ONCOLOGIST AND FORMER MEDICAL DIRECTOR KATH IN THE ERSTWHILE NDC GOVERNMENT, THE WRONG MAN TO BE GHS- DIRECTOR GENERAL.
Dr Baffour Awuah, a former medical practitioner at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, a consultant radiation oncologist and former head of oncology directorate before he became medical director at KATH. He served in the erstwhile NDC administration under Prof. Ohene Adjei and Dr Akpalu both CEO’s from the days of late President John Attah Mills’s time down to Former President Mahama till NPP won power in 2016 as the medical director for komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
Dr Baffour Awuah served in the NDC regime because prior to his appointment he was a card bearing member of the NDC allegedly as far back 1992, which proves his loyalty and long standing membership with NDC at that time. The big question many of the NPP loyalists in health are asking is that since when did Dr Baffour Awuah switched to NPP. Is he a card holding member of NPP? What role did he play in the 2016 general elections? Or is it the case that someone is just imposing him on the party just to satisfy his ego and autocracy?
We the health fraternity and true party members of NPP would like to draw the presidents attention to this greatest mistake NPP can ever make in health, so is the party saying no faithful member is qualified enough to occupy the position of Director General-GHS after Dr Nsia Asare other than Dr Baffour Awuah we all know his party affiliations and biases, what happened to the we have the men mantra we have always shouted.
So is our own NPP government lead by Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo is telling the well meaning Health workers(Drs, Nurses, Pharmacists,Midwives,Biomedical Scientists’s,Nutritionsit,physiotherapist and others) who sacrificed everything and went against all odds to campaign for the party that their efforts doesn’t deserve a reward by appointing a true party person to steer the affairs of this important office in health and take over from Dr Anthony “Drone” Nsia Asare.
Another question we want to ask Dr Baffour Awuah at this very moment is that he should just tell us the role he played in the 2016 general election or before, at the level of occupying the Director General position you have to have the courage to mention your achievements out loud. We want to know how he managed to get his appointment as the medical director at kath during the NDC regime?, which constituency he votes?, who is his constituency chairman, which NPP health or non health platform is he on and his contributions so far ever since NPP won power to shape the course of health in Ghana which requires rewarding him with such a position.
We will not attack any appointing authority for not making the due diligence before writing to him but would rather reecho what Dr kusi Boafo said some months ago that “ a general who doesn’t recognize the soldiers he won a battle with must be prepared to loose the next battle”, maybe we don’t want to win 2020 elections that’s why we trying everything to shoot ourselves down other than that it’s so surprising why some selfish and self centered appointees would want to push the party opposition just to satisfy their ego and whatever interest they only seem to know.
At this level it’s has reached enough is enough and we won’t treat this issue with kid gloves anymore. We the NPP Medical Team wish to state our position clear that we will not work for the party again if the party goes ahead to appoint Dr Baffour Awuah as the new Director General-GHS for some of the above stated reasons. Our membership span across all the 16 regions of Ghana and with a regional chapter in all the regions.
We believe the 2020 general elections can be won with ease and less hustle if the current achievements and good name of GHS are not soiled by some of these unwarranted mistakes in politics. We state clearly our disappointment in the appointing authority and we wish to advise them to do something with immediate effect to help energize the health grassroot based of the party to continuously work for victory 2020.
By J. Ofori, Daily Mail GH
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